No. 3 Auburn Equestrian team (3-1) defeated Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks (0-2) 12-7 last Friday. The Tigers posted a 6-4 score in Hunt Seat and 6-3 in Western while taking all four Most Valuable Player awards.
"As soon as we got there the entire team was ready to compete," said head coach Greg Williams. "To be on strange horses in a new location I found that the freshmen handled it really well."
The Tigers lost for the first time last week to the South Carolina Gamecocks, and Williams said he was happy his team re-grouped and took care of business.
"To win on the road is always good, but to win in such a dominant fashion is what was really great," Williams said.
The meet had to be moved into one arena due to heavy rain causing the meet to last approximately seven hours.
Auburn started with a 3-2 win in Equitation over the Fences and was led by MVP Chelsea Anheuser who defeated Madeline Brown 85-78 on horse Cash.
"I felt great about my ride," said senior Hunt Seat rider Chelsea Anheuser. "I had a good horse and a great course. On the flat I had a tough horse that was tough to get going, but I just did the best I could."
Other Auburn winners included senior Hunt Seat rider Katie Breedlove and junior Hunt Seat rider Anna Schierholz, bringing the total Hunt Seat score to 6-4.
Freshman Western rider Indy Roper won her third straight MVP in the Horsemanship event, beating Candice Fulcher 72.5 - 68.5 on the horse Sissy.
Roper was joined by junior Western rider Mary Casey, the only other Tiger to win the Horsemanship event.
Tying with a score of zero because a penalty were Auburn's freshman Western rider Casey Fowler and Tennessee-Martin's Heidi Grimm.
Auburn won Western Reining 4-1, led by junior Western MVP rider Paige Monfore who beat Stephanie Sanders 66.5-57.5 on Bee.
Monfore was happy with the win and believed the team won because of great team spirit.
"After fences and horsemanship we were almost tied and decided to all come together and talk about our plan," Monfore said. "We made a pact to finish strong and we did."
Since the Tigers did not host the meet, they had to ride on unfamiliar horses, which Monfore thought of as an advantage.
"It makes it a little bit easier because when you know the horse you know what to look out for," Monfore said. "You don't just get on and ride and you don't trust your instinct. When you travel, all you trust is your instincts and you just get on the horse and ride."
The Tigers host fifth ranked Texas A&M (1-0) who are coming off a 11-8 win over Fresno State Sunday afternoon at the Brazos County Expo Complex.
The Aggies took three out of the four MVPs, starting with senior Equitation rider Christina Heine who beat Nicole Roworth 82-76.
Roworth was joined by sophomore Equitation rider Hannah Soibelman who posted a 24-point win over Lanie Madrazo.
The meet will be Friday at 3 p.m. CST at Auburn Equestrian Center.
The meet is open to the public and admission is free.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
